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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · nail · straw · staff · craft · calf · net · content

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. net — for catching
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. net — in sport
  6. content — happy
  7. press — newspapers
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. staff — a stick
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. staff — employees
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. craft — boats
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. craft — a skill
  22. staff — employees
  23. net — after costs
  24. content — the amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com